Tag Archives: National Security

I am frequently drawn by the direct and uninhibited language of fellow Trinidad Express columnist Joanne Paul. In her commentary last Monday, Dr Paul treated with our massive diabetes problem. Interestingly, from my perspective, she came to the conclusion that it was time to acknowledge the truth.   ‘Things are …

“[…] There is no greater example of our misapplication of the national watchword, tolerance, than the way we treat Yasin Abu Bakr… He hosts press conferences, and participates in national discussions as if he is qualified or worthy. He is not. His very presence at the table is an insult …

At a time when the country needs strong institutions to uphold the principles of our democracy, the deafening silence of the Police Service Commission is untenable and simply inimical to the public interest.  In the midst of what can quite easily escalate into a full-blown national security predicament, the PSC …

Trinidad and Tobago did not buy ‘cat in bag’ when we hired Mr Gary Griffith. We knew full well what to expect.  In October 2015, then Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon reported on his predecessor’s bid to purchase armoured vehicles for the police service:  ‘Unknown to the PS and …

In 2016, our country was the western world’s highest per capita supplier of recruits for the ISIS campaign in the Middle East. We are among the world’s most violent nations, with an average annual murder rate of 32.9 per 100,000 inhabitants(from 2009–2018). Refugees and trafficking complicate our lives. These trends …

Our history records Trinidad and Tobago’s fisherfolk dodging bullets from or being arrested by Venezuela’s Guardia Nacional for supposedly being in Venezuelan waters. Today we continue to metaphorically dodge different kinds of bullets from our Venezuelan neighbours. For years, the back-and-forth confrontational posturing was a trickle—the fisherfolk dispute, or the …

Caribbean Airlines (CAL) is creating an additional flight to the John F Kennedy International Airport in New York—and, although priority will be given to students, anyone can apply for a seat. CAL did not reveal the projected date for the trip. However, interested parties must lodge their interest by 5pm …

Caribbean Airlines is putting on a special flight for Trinidad and Tobago students who are studying abroad and wish to return to school. The flight, which is being coordinated jointly with the Ministry of National Security, is the second such venture by CAL after a similar trip to the Miami …

“[…] And now that elections have been called, our cries risk being further lost amidst the din of the political platform, the picong of politicians, and the cheers of the adoring crowds. “Politicians will claim to have successfully managed the Covid crisis, better than anywhere else in the world in …

“[…] It is coming to our attention that there may be nationals of Trinidad and Tobago in different numbers, on various cruise ships, in different locations, throughout the Caribbean and elsewhere. “[…] We have not been provided with breakdowns per cruise ship and the particulars of where these various cruise …

Jomal, Jamal and Jomoul are now under one roof in El Salvador. It might sound like the making of a sitcom but in fact it is one of multiple stories about the impact of Covid-19 on Trinidad and Tobago internationals across the globe. In this case, 26-year-old Jomal Williams, 32-year-old …

“[…] All of these are instances of police officers enforcing a law which does not exist. There is no law which says you cannot be on the road after 8pm, no law which says you can only go to the grocery if absolutely necessary, no law which empowers the police …